


Not On My Behalf

by ManyFandomsOneLog



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Bickering, Boys who get captured together stay together, M/M, Open Ending, Prince!Roman, Theyre in love but unfortunately their lives are in fact in danger, Tumblr Prompt, Typical colosseum shit where one of them is forced to fight, ambiguous ending, knight!virgil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26889883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManyFandomsOneLog/pseuds/ManyFandomsOneLog
Summary: After Prince Roman and Sir Virgil are captured by a group of bandits in the woods, they are stuck with one another, for better or for worse. Together, they must find out what exactly the king of bandits has in store for them.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	Not On My Behalf

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompt: “I’m not gonna let you get yourself killed!”
> 
> TW: Imprisonment, violence mention, death mention, self-sacrifice?, ask to tag
> 
> ...This is what I did instead of writing a new chapter of What You Can Stand.

Virgil sat on the dirty, cobblestone floor with his back pressed against Roman’s. The dungeon was dark and damp, and the thick bars of their cell showed no means of escape.

Virgil let out a sigh, “Remind me why you thought that loudly singing in a bandit-infested forest was a good idea?” He asked Roman.

Roman made an offended noise, “How was I supposed to know they were bandit-infested?!”

“I told you to shut up!”

“You always tell me to shut up!”

“..And yet you never listen.” Virgil muttered.

Though they were tied together, Roman managed to elbow Virgil, “I heard that!”

“That was the point, Princey.”

“You can’t address me in that way. You may be a knight, but I’m your prince! I could charge you with treason.”

“I _said_ Princey.”

“That is _not_ a proper form of addressal and you know it! A prince is addressed by your highness or your royal highness- never your majesty, because I’m not-“

“Oh, shut _up_ , Princey.” Virgil said. If he hadn’t known that Roman was joking, he might’ve found a way to punch him.

“ _There you go again_ with-”

Just then, the door to the cell opened, causing them both to fall silent, faces hardening. A huge thug dressed in leather armor entered bearing a halberd and a crooked grin.

“Boss wants to talk with you.” He said, entering the cell.

Another thug followed him in, and they untied the rope that bound the two together, hoisting them to their feet. Then, the thugs ushered Roman and Virgil forward, prodding them with their halberds.

“Ow!” Roman yelped.

“Keep your mouth shut.” The second thug told him.

“ _Finally_ , someone else says it.” Virgil teased.

“You too!” The first thug barked.

“Alright, alright.” Virgil said.

On the inside, he was terrified. His heart was beating at an alarming rate, and every instinct in his body was screaming _bad, bad, bad, bad_. But he couldn’t show it. He was a knight. He had to be brave. He had to make it seem like he wasn’t intimidated by them.. even if he really, really was.

Eventually, the thugs led them to a set of double doors, which were opened by two more lackies. Once the doors were open, the thugs pushed Roman and Virgil into a new room. The entrance they had taken led them into what looked like an arena, with dirt on the ground and wooden walls surrounding them on every side. These walls were lined with a grotesque display of bloodied swords and pieces of armor. Around them, on raised platforms, more ruffians and bandits looked down at them, jeering and booing at the sight of them. And, at the head of the room, sat the roughest of them all, a great, muscular man draped in gold and rare furs. He had pale skin, blond hair, and a tangled, once-blond beard, and as the two of them were pushed into the arena, he grinned at them maliciously.

“If it isn’t the pretty prince and his puny knight.” He bellowed. His voice carried through the room, echoing off the walls. “I am Awarnach, King of the Bandits of the Eastern Woods. I welcome you to my colosseum.”

Thugs and bandits whooped and hooted on all sides, cheering. Virgil felt sick to his stomach. He had heard of places like these, but he had never thought he would find himself in one.

“What do you want from us?!” Roman exclaimed. “I demand to know!”

The crowd around them laughed. Apparently, they found that funny.

The bandit king smiled, waiting for the laughter to die down before he gave his reply, “Entertainment, of course.” He said. “What else?”

“Enter..Entertainment?” Roman repeated. “What exactly does that mean?”

Again, the crowd laughed at him, harsh and cold.

“You’ll see soon enough, _your highness_.” Awarnach sneered. 

He turned to the onlookers, “Now!” He called. “Which of these rats should face first against the beast?” 

He motioned to Virgil, “The knight,” There was a weak cheer, and Awarnach grinned. 

“ _Or,_ ” He motioned to Roman, “The _prince?_ ” The crowd exploded into wild, bloodthirsty cheers.

Virgil looked at Roman, and was disheartened to see that he appeared to be utterly terrified. His eyes were wide, and he was turning his head from left to right, as if trying to find a way out of the room. Clearly, he hated this just as much as Virgil did.

After the crowd had died down, Awarnach spoke again, “Well!” He said. “It looks like we have our winner! Or should I say.. our _loser_.” He laughed. 

He turned to the two thugs from earlier, “Escort the knight to the stands- it’s his lucky day.”

As the thugs approached Virgil, he took one last look at the wide-eyed terror on Roman’s face, and he made up his mind.  
Just as the thugs began to drag him away, Virgil struggled out of their grip and shouted, “WAIT!”

Surprisingly, it worked. Through the stands and all around him, the commotion came to a halt, and all eyes turned to Virgil.

“Let me take his place.” Virgil said. There was an edge of desperation in his voice that he didn’t recognize. 

“Virgil, what are you doing?” He heard Roman whisper. He didn’t dare look over to see his expression.

Then, Awarnach laughed, “And why  
should I allow that, knight?” He asked.

Virgil’s mind raced. Why _should_ he? What leverage did they have against these people? What did they value more than entertainment?

Suddenly, it clicked, “He’s Prince Roman!” Virgil blurted.

Awarnach frowned, “Yes, I know that. That’s rather the point.” He said. “Now, if you’re done-“

“So, you have a prince in your custody, and you’re just going to send him to _die?_ What good is that? Why not get a ransom?”

At first, Awarnach had seemed mildly amused by Virgil’s intervention, then, when he was not sufficiently interesting, he had grown frustrated. However, at the word “ransom”, Awarnach’s entire demeanor shifted.

“A ransom, you say..” He ran a hand through his beard, “Hm..”

Virgil held his breath, and he could feel the crowd doing the same in anticipation of Awarnach’s decision.

Finally, the large man spoke, “You make a good point, knight.” He said. “Tell me, what is your name?”

“..Sir Virgil.”

“Tell me, Sir Virgil, are you truly willing to risk your life for that of this prince?”

Virgil looked him dead in the eyes, “Any day of the week.” He stated. It was the truth.

Awarnach let out a cruel laugh, “Devotion is an admirable trait.” He smirked. “But devotion can get a man killed.”

Virgil’s fists clenched, “Probably.” He said.

Awarnach let out a chuckle. Then, seemingly satisfied by Virgil’s answer, he turned to the crowd.

“The prince shall be held for ransom, and the knight will fight!” He bellowed.

The crowd cheered, and Virgil let out a sigh of relief, which was a bit ridiculous considering he was to be sent to his probable death.

Awarnach motioned to the thugs from earlier, and they stepped away from Virgil, moving towards Roman, instead.

The prince stood in complete shock, unmoving, his mouth agape as he stared at Virgil. However, the moment the thugs grabbed his shoulders, it was as if he had been unpetrified. All at once, he swung into action, jolting forward towards Virgil.  
“No! I- You- You _can’t_ \- What the _hell- No!_ Virgil, what-?!” He tried desperately to rip himself away from his captors, “Let- go- of- me!” He yelled.

Despite his efforts, Roman failed to break away. He was half the size of the men holding him, and his princely duties hadn’t exactly built up his muscles. As he struggled and yelled, the crowd yet again began to laugh, which only made Roman more angry. Soon enough, Awarnach was laughing, too.

Roman whirled on the bandit king, “Let me fight!” He demanded.

“No.” Awarnach responded. “As your friend here said, you’re worth more to me alive.”

He motioned again to the thugs, and they again tried to drag Roman away, but he continued to kick and yell and make the process as difficult as possible. 

The longer he went on, the less and less laughter was drawn from the crowd. Virgil glanced at Awarnach. The man did not look amused anymore. Instead, there was a hard set to his jaw, and his left eye was beginning to twitch. He was getting angry.

If Roman didn’t shut up now, he was going to get them both killed.

Before the prince could say anything else, Virgil was at his side, one hand at his shoulder, “Roman.” He hissed, “You need to stop. There’s too many of them. If you keep this up, you’re only going to make things worse.”

Roman looked at him, his eyebrows tilted upwards, “I- You- Virgil, I- I’m not gonna let you get yourself killed!” He exclaimed. He lowered his voice, “..Especially not on my behalf.”

His words came out pained and cracked, pulling at Virgil’s heartstrings. The way his green eyes were filled with raw fear and anger, as if his entire world was falling apart.. Did he really care that much?

..Did it even matter, if this was the last time Virgil would ever see his prince?

Virgil swallowed and looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. He had to be strong. He couldn’t show weakness. Not now. He was a knight. It was his sworn duty to protect the crown, whatever the cost. 

More than that, he cared about Roman, even if he was an annoying, pretentious, cocky, rude, oblivious moron 90% of the time. He cared about Roman more than he cared to admit. If this is what it took to ensure his safety, then Virgil would do it. Whatever challenge he needed to face in this colosseum, whatever beast he needed to fight, he would do it.

Virgil took a deep breath and forced himself to look at Roman again. Once he was looking at the prince, he took a moment to drink in his entire appearance. His white tunic, smudged with dirt. His bright red sash. His tan skin. Those stupid golden shoulder tassels that Virgil made fun of him for. His chapped lips, pressed into a thin, concerned line. His fucking gorgeous cheekbones. The way that his brown, wavy hair fell perfectly around his face. His long lashes. His deep, green eyes.

Virgil felt something clench in his chest. He squeezed Roman’s shoulder, his prince’s shoulder, and he said, “I’ll try my best not to die.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, please leave kudos and a comment! If enough people take an interest in this, I might add a second chapter with the actual fight scene.


End file.
